Meet Mysore's own magician Raj Bhat

There was a time when magic shows were performed on streets with no props and stage arrangements, but right in front of people watching all around. Remember the famous 'Indian rope trick' where the magician throws a long rope in the air and it would seemingly stand erect on its own.

The magician would then climb the rope and disappear, only to reappear after sometime from the ground. The trick is even today considered to be the world's greatest illusion and could not be repeated by any of the modern day magicians. These tricks were always a great entertainment, attracting huge crowds of people to these street magicians. With the passage of time and with rapid advances in technology and gadgets, the 'street magic' gave way to the 'stage magic,' where nothing short of miracles were created.

Magic is a highly skilled art of keeping the audience mesmerised till the end of the show. Today's magicians perform such acts that appears to be impossible and sometimes even supernatural, like walking on water, levitating in the air to name a few. But the truth is, all such feats are mere illusions and not real. They are so carefully designed based on simple scientific techniques, that they trick our senses into believing that what we are seeing is really happening.

Like another art, magic too requires learning and mastering skills that has to be perfected by rigorous practice. But for Jadugar Raj Bhat, a native of Mysore, magic seems to have come quite naturally, as an inborn instinct. Raj says, "I was so impressed after watching a magic show performed in the school where I was studying, that I immediately decided that I will become a magician. I started collecting books written by great magicians and also began practicing some of their techniques."

Thus Raj began his magical journey and started performing on stage that left the audience spell-bound. That he won a State award when he was just 14 years old and a National award when he was 16 for conveying a social message, is a testimony for his magical skills. He has chosen magic as a full-time profession and has already performed several magic shows in various schools and colleges. Raj who holds a Master’s degree in Psychology from Mysore University is the son of late Kasturi and Gopalkrishna Bhat.

"My desire was to serve the society through magic. With the intention of reaching more number of people, I joined Rotaract Club in 2001. In 2006-07, I was elected as the President of the Club when it won the Best Club Award and 27 various other awards in the Zone. In 2008, I was elected as the Charter President of Lions Club-Jayalakshmipuram. In 2009, I joined international social service organisation JCI Mysore Brindavan, and am presently involved in various social activities."

"I am also involved with various government departments like the Dept. of Kannada and Culture and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. With the help and support provided by these departments, I am performing magic shows not only in Karnataka but in various parts of the country creating awareness among people on various social issues like importance of education, women empowerment, AIDS, blood donation, rural development, dangers of smoking and drinking, saving the environment, on the importance of life insurance, e-employment and other such issues through my magic shows and lecture demos," says a beaming Raj.

SOM had a tête-à-tête with Mysore's own magician at K. Vasudevacharya Bhavan on JLB Road, where a magic and ventriloquism (the art of projecting your voice so that it seems to come from another source, as from a ventriloquist's dummy) show was organised by Bhasange Balaga recently.

SOM: Does magic as illusion, evoke feelings of mystery in man?

Raj: Yes, it does. Magic is a sense of perception.

SOM: The great ‘Indian Rope trick’ was considered to be one of the staple performances for any magician. Is it still being reformed?

Raj: Yes, it is being reformed. As technology is improving, they are using even more advanced methods to perform the trick, like the use of remote controls. Once in a while, all magicians get together and discuss how best they can improvise their techniques by adopting the latest advances in technology.

SOM: Why are not magicians playing an active role in exposing fake Godmen who still continue to fool people by pretending to materialise ash, Shivling, gold-rings and other objects?

Raj: It’s not completely true that magician are not doing anything. Many, including me, educate children in schools after performing a magic show about how these fake Godmen are hoodwinking people using the very same tricks which they just saw. Of course, we cannot perform it in a big scale as some of the ingredients like chemicals used for the show are quite expensive, which we can’t afford to buy. Only if the government or some organisation sponsors it, then we are ready do it in a big way reaching more number of people.

SOM: What kind of educational role can magicians play? Not merely performing tricks, but also explaining to the audience how a magician uses the various laws of Physics and Chemistry to create such extraordinary illusions.

Raj: Magicians can play a great role in educating children through their magic while entertaining them at the same time. Just as a child would refuse to swallow medicine if given directly and when the same is given with honey, they will take it because of the sweetness. In the same way I convey my message through entertainment which reaches them easily and it gets registered in their minds.

For example, while performimg magic shows in schools sponsored by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, I passed the message not to burst crackers. After the show, teachers informed me that in spite of them advising the kids in the matter several times they wouldn’t listen, but after watching my show, nearly 60% students stopped bursting crackers. That’s the power of magic.

SOM: How do you differentiate between magic and reality?

Raj: While performing magic on stage we create money, but if it happened in real life why should we be performing shows at all? We can sit at home and make money and give away to all the needy people. Magic is all illusion which doesn’t happen in reality.

SOM: Which is your most satisfying per-formance?

Raj: Rope trick.

SOM: While performing a show, on what do you concentrate more, effects or on the performance?

Raj: In magic we have to concentrate on both, effects as well as on performance, because only if both go in hand and hand the magic works.

SOM: How did you learn ventriloquism?

Raj: Once I watched it on TV and decided that I should try it on my own. I could finally learn it after two years of intense practice. My first performance received a good response. I am now performing with a stuffed toy chimpanzee and a boy. I want to better it further by adding a third one, but am still practicing. This is a very ancient art form where in the old days, people living in caves and forests used it as a voice from the God, but with passage of time they began misusing it. Now it is reduced merely as an entertainment. The famous magician Uday Jadugar was the first to perform it and I was inspired by him.

SOM: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about?

Raj: I request the government and the public to support and encourage upcoming young magicians to do better work for the development of the society. Presently, I am also exploring Black Magic, I take this opportunity to start research in this field.

[Raj may be contacted on Mobile 93424-97776].

Is it a school or a grazing ground?

Both the State and Central Governments are implementing measures to ensure that all children compulsorily receive primary education and are educated at least upto matriculation. The recently introduced Right To Education Bill by the Centre is a step in this direction.

The State Government, on its behalf, has stepped up recruitment of Primary School teachers, providing amenities and other infrastructure facilities to the existing schools all over the districts. But just like any other Government initiative, their effective implementation is always saddled with corruption, lethargy and neglect. The endlosers are these little children who are deprived of their rightful education in their formative years.

Very recently, SOM carried an article on the deplorable ways in which food was being served to children at Nazarbad boys hostel run by the Social Welfare Department. The Government Primary School in Jayanagar, adjacent to ISKCON temple, is another example of apathy by the officials of Education Department in providing basic facilities.

With around 80 students attending this school, it doesn’t even have a proper toilet except for a dilapidated cement structure standing forlorn in a corner. The students are forced to attend nature’s call in the open field behind the school. Boys and girls take turn to quickly ease themselves and get back to class but the teachers go to the neighbouring ISKCON temple to attend nature’s call.



Weeds and wild bushes have grown in the entire courtyard in front of the school and in the surroundings. The school doesn’t have any compound wall. This makes it easy for the cattle and sheep to get inside for grazing and sometimes even straying inside class rooms. There were even instances of children witnessing snakes slithering in the area. Adding to the woes of these little children, there is no proper drinking water facility, except for a hand pump. There is also no power supply to this school.

About two years ago, nearly 20 Guntas of land was allotted for this school by the Government. But after that nobody bothered to take up any infrastructure work. Though it is compulsory that every school must have a playground, the children here are deprived of that opportunity. The authorities too have not bothered to issue the sports materials which must be provided to every school as per law.

In spite of the school being located along the main road, there are neither any proper traffic sign-boards nor a road hump. With heavy vehicles plying on the road, teachers help students to cross the road in the evening after the classes. When such is the state of affairs, how can the student strength be increased ? Very soon this school also may lack students like the century-old Lakshmipuram School.

In the midst of all these, a woman clandestinely residing there has fenced a small patch of land to grow vegetables and prevent straying cattle. The present school building has four blocks which was constructed in association with the Mysore Round Table-21. The area Corporator and authorities seem to have turned a blind eye to this school.

Saptamatruka temple first of its kind in city

Karnataka is the abode or penance, land of enlightened men, sages, yogis, acharyas and the place of truthfulness, righteousness and renunciation. It is the good fortune of all the Kannadigas to be in the dwelling place of music, literature, art and architecture.

The worship of the goddess of sakti is going on uninterruptedly from time immemorial. When man comes to know of his limitations, he discovered the unique divine power, thinking that power to be mother earth, he began to worship it with faith and devotion. Giving up the feelings of the rich and the poor, he regarded her as the tutelary deity of a village, or a state or of a nation. She transcended the boundaries of time, place and community, and established as a supreme power in the minds of people.

In the beginning, she was given a form in mud, wood, metal, stone etc. She manifested from within to without. Thus, the primordial Sakti, on account of her abilities of creation, maintenance and destruction, she became the goddess of dharma (righteousness); from a single form, she assumed many formed Saptamatruka. By filling all the desires of the devotees, she came to be called istartha pratayini and the goddess with unlimited powers born in the minds of people of various places, languages, religious is here in all resplendence.

The characteristics of this temple

Saptamatruka temple is the first of its kind in Mysore, is situated in the northwest, and built in accordance with agamasastras, excellence of place. The place is of istanya dikplava nairuti elevation, surabhigandhayukta and supadma character. While building this temple, dikparicheda, ursabhayani, vastumandala, amnayajapaya, devanisa etc., all these factors have been taken into consideration. The adhisthana has all the six kinds of khuras.

The head Posture, weapons and vehicles of the saptamatrkas in the sanctum sanctorum are all sculpted according to the agamasastras. Another specialty is that there is sri chakra chidamba meru prastara in one monolithic stone just in front of the devis in the sanctum sanctorum. In front of it, on the right side is Sri Mahaganapati, and on the lefl is Bhyravamurthy and in the north is sukhaduhkha devis.

Specialty of Deviparchayatana

In the portico, towards the northeast of the devis there is Dakshinamurthy deity racing South; in the southeast Satyanarayana deity is installed facing north, in accordance with the saying Sivaya Visnurupaya Sivarupaya visnave; in the south-west vinayaka deity is installed; and Surya in northwest. The fillet of the sanctum sanctorum is decorated with gaialakshmi, posts and leaves, alligator-banner.

In the ceiling other portico there are three fully blown lotuses. At the front gate there ale lions on either side, and doorkeeper’s viz., dhater and vidhatr are sculpted. In front of them there is a flagstaff measuring 3 I feet made of stone and a balipitha. There is one Mahadwara in front of it. This is a centre for religious, cultural and arts. The deities inside the prakara. On the upper side of the southern wall of the sanctum sanctorum, Brahma, Saraswati, narmada and tumburu are sculpted. Facing them are Jagadguru Adisankara, along with his four disciples; below that are nine durgas sculpted in accordance with the agamas.

On the western wall of the sanctum sanctorum are sculptured Kalpaurksha and Kamadhenu on the left are Sivaloka, Siva and Parvati., Kumaraswamy and Ganapati; on the right are the figures of Ganga and Yamuna rivers flowing from Kailasa; animals and birds devoid of their rivalry, living together in a rivers of penance. At the bottom is the picture of sixteen matricas. The famous idols or devi temples of India are installed here. On the northern wall Mahavisnu and Mahalakshmi are sitting on the Adisesa the couch and canopy of Visnu. On one side of them is Garuda, and on the other side is viswaksena. At the bottom Ashtalaksmis are sculpted.

Spire (Vimana) of the temple

In the temple of Saptamatrkas, Aksara devataas are represented from Akara to Ksakara. This is a unique feature in India-Each of the Aksara devataas have been depicted according to the dhyanasloka of the Agamas. Below the Mahanasika Alpanasika, towards the East is Ganapati, towards the South is Saraswati, towards the West Sri Chowdeshwari and towards the North Mahalakshmi idols are situated. Pranava ksara devataas are there next to Ganapati, and the idols or Mahakarikamba in the northeast, Sri Gayatridevi in the southeast, Sri Savithridevi in the southwest, Sri Saraswathidevi in the northwest, and the conventional vimana deities are also sculpted.

Devakosthakas on the ceiling of the portico: on the east are Ganapati, Saptamatrkas and Virabhadra, on the South are Parvati, Parameswara, Sanmukha, Nandishwara, and on the south are Lakshminarayana, Garud and Anjaneya.

At the four corners of the portico are sculpted Karnakutas, crore bhutas etc. Chejjas called Chadyas are built around the area enclosed round the temple. The temple is truly a heaven on earth. Subbarao Kallesh Bhaskar of Mysore, prepared the blue print of the temple and executed all the engineering works with extreme devotion. Prof. N. Nanjundaswamy, Archaeological Survey of India, Epigraphist has designed the temple in accordance with silpasastra and executed the work excellently.

"We prefer to starve than eat mess food", say inmates of Govt. Boys Hostel

The Government Boys Hostel in Nazarbad, despite being located in the heart of the city, is as pathetic any other such hostel in a remote rural region.

The hostel was started by the then Maharaja of Mysore with the noble intention of providing accommodation to the children of rural regions who come to the city to pursue education.

However, in the present condition, students are facing a harrowing experience due to unhygienic food and lack of basic facilities. The mess at the hostel, which comes under the Social Welfare Department, is literally in a messy state.

About 258 students, mostly belonging to middle class and poor families, hailing from villages in and around Mysore, are facing severe hardship at the hostel.

On learning about the problem, Mayor Sandesh Swamy, along with Health Officer Dr. T.S. Nagaraj, JD(S) leader Praveen Kumar and Corporation Zone-7 Assistant Engineer Somashekarappa inspected the hostel yesterday morning. The Mayor was surprised to see the staff serving rice very limitedly and a watery curry to the students.

On inspection by the officials, corruption was found to be rampant in the hostel. Food items were allegedly misappropriated by the mess authorities.

For a hostel with 258 student strength, the amount of milk purchased daily was a mere of 5 litres, and the diluted milk is served for the children.

Students complain


This is what the students had to say about the food served in the hostel mess: "The sambar, a regular feature on the mess menu, will hardly have any vegetables. Whatever the vegetables purchased, they are either rotten or cheaply bought discarded ones."

Even the rice and pulses are half-cooked — causing gastro-problems to many. Left-over sambar is mixed with rice the next day and served as Bisibelebath!

Neighbours suspect

All the groceries purchased for the mess out of government funds are clandestinely sold to nearby shops. Some items get pilfered too. "We have seen bags of groceries (especially rice, flour, cooking oil, condiments etc.) being sneaked out at frequent intervals," confided some neighbours.

Allegations

• It is alleged that the staff prepare special dishes for themselves and feast at a time when the students are in school.

• Though students are allowed to watch TV with no extra cost, it is said that the staff play movie CDs and collect Rs. 3 per student.

• Though the government has supplied 10 books per student, many have received only 4 to 5 books.

• There are 12-15 members in a single room and they are given worn-out carpet without bedspreads to sleep on. Uniforms, soap and other toilet items are not yet issued to some students.

• Most of the toilets are out of order and lack basic health requirements. There are short-ages in the number of cleaning workers.

When SOM tried to contact the Hostel Warden Savithri over phone, she was not available.

What the students say:

Some of the students told the following to SOM:

"Almost all the dishes are prepared without adding cooking oil, are uncooked and taste bland. We prefer to starve than go through the ordeal of chewing on the raw food. Even though it is mandatory that eggs should be provided on all Fridays and special dishes served on Sundays, it is never done."

"The Menu Board displaying the list of dishes to be served to the hostel inmates is a mere formality. However, enough funds are drawn from the hostel’s mess account for the same."

If any student questions, the warden shouts using abusive language and some times they beat us also asking, "Yeno? Ninna appa tandu kottidara?"

"Many of our room-mates complain of stomach problems because of the half-boiled rice served. We have been quite used to getting stomach problems because of food. We cannot stop eating at the hostels because we are compelled to eat whatever is offered by the mess. We have no option at all."

Mayor’s view


After inspecting the hostel and hearing the complaints from the children, Mayor Sandesh Swamy assured of speaking to the Warden and solve the problem within a week.

"If the problem persists, I will take the matter to the department concerned," he said and also assured of visiting all the government hostels in the city in the days to come and take strict action if found guilty.

He instructed the Health Officer to make regular health check-up for children and to keep a vigil on the hostel activities and also instructed the City Corporation officials to provide sports items for children immediately.

Health Officer speaks

"First I will call the warden and question her. Then I will bring the matter to the notice of the Social Welfare Department. I will ensure that all basic facilities for the students are provided," said Health Officer Nagaraj.

Published on SOM dated 13, July 2010

...and they did it!

Orphan youths successfully climb Kuari Pass


Like the famous one-liner of an international sports goods company that says, “Just do it!’ …. a small group of 15 orphaned boys and girls from Mysore, Pune and Tamil Nadu did precisely that. The orphans, joined by a supporting team of trekkers, trekked to Kuari Pass summit in Uttar-khand’s section of Himalayas. Kuari Pass trek is popular for the Himalayan peaks of Nanda Devi, Kamet, Mana, Trisul, Dunagiri, Bethartoli and others. The trek began on April 25 and concluded on May 14.

It may be recalled that SOM had published an article (SOM dated March 24) about the proposal to take orphaned boys and girls on a trek to foot of the Himalayan range. The trek for these orphans was organised by the City based, International Academy of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (IAMAS), and Society for Trekking and Environmental Preservation (STEP), New Delhi.

The happy trekkers are K.D. Devendra and Mahadeva Swamy from JSS, Suttur, Siddarth Bapu from Grace School, Kumbarakoppal, Anitha, Kavya and Shruthi from Bapuji Children’s Home, Savitha, Divya and Reshma from Govt. Girls Home, Siddharthanagar, Sakthi Kumar from Govt. Home for Boys, JP Nagar, Mallikarjuna, Juvenile Home (all from Mysore), and Suhas Dilip Bodake and Bhupesh Chadrakant Indulkar from Radhabai Hardikar Pranjit Mangal Sanstha of Pune. The trekkers were led by N. Shankara Subramanaya, supported by Pankaj Mallick, Shrisha Bhat, M. Mohan Kumar, Dr. Rashmi, M.S. Lakshman Raju, Somnath Pal Ashok Banka and Pradeep Bist.

The cost of the trek which was around Rs. 4,10,662, was borne by Australian Martin Gregory and his friends from Australia, who played the Good Samaritans. When a simple outing like a visit to the zoo for instance seems often impossible, a trek to the Himalayan range was like a dream that they wouldn’t dared to have dreamt. Aptly enough the trek was called, DREAMS -2010.

“Dreams-2010” is the first ever trekking expedition held exclusively for the orphan youths of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The expedition is the brain child of D.S.D.Solanki, Program Director of IAMAS.

The planning for the trip led to intense bon-ding among trekkers, with a lot of laughter and some tears (of joy).

Here is what these young trekkers say:


“I can smell those fresh flowers, the dew, the bustle of the breeze caressing our bodies and it was truly a climb up to face the creator himself.”

“Walking up to Ramni from Chepna. On Day 1, we had a breathtaking view of the Chaukambha mountain ranges. Day 2 saw us heading to Jhenji. The peak emerged and what a way to experience pleasure on Day 3 when we reached the villages Jhenjhi and Pana.”

“With our back-packs up, toeing in line, heads held high and with our gazes fixed at the distant hazy mountains, we set out on Day 4 from Pana to Santoli on a terrain which was more even surfaced and not so treacherous. Perhaps we were now getting used to the climb and were slowly inching towards conquering the mountains that made us take the hills in our stride. We camped there for the pre-summit camp to acclimatize ourselves before we attempted the next leap of our final climb. With a day’s break and making preparations — physical and mental — we left on Day 5 to Khulara from Santoli, when finally the moment of Eureka! Came—the KUARI Pass Summit — We had made it.”

“On Day 6 we took a break at Khulara where we had fun playing games, reliving the moments of physical struggle and mental resolve we endured. On the next day, Day 7, we walked down to TAPOVAN. The entire trek was so planned, it evoked the completeness of our lives and our connection with nature, both within ourselves and with each other.”

“The camp fires, the discussions, the small talks, the laughter, the songs, the splendid views of Nanda Devi, Neel Khant, Nanda Ghunti, Chaukhamba, Kamet, Mana, Hathi Parvat, Trishul, and a host of other celestial spots will be etched in our memories forever. This is how our planet earth was intended to be and we, young boys and girls, have a tremendous responsibility ahead of us to ensure that we slowly but surely ascertain that nature always remained in her pristine glory.” “We slept inside tents in our sleeping bags on the mou-ntain top, surrounded on all sides by glaciers, in the lap of Mo-ther Nature. ”

“Having lost my parents when I was very young, thinking of a trekking expedition in Himalayan Ranges was a distant dream and it was simply a DREAM COME TRUE”, says Devendra Kanakappa Dasara, a student of JSS and a native of Gadag.

“It was all possible because of IAMAS’s noble gesture of taking us to Himalayan ranges,” says Sharada, Salundi, Govt Girls Home, Mysore.

The youths scaled the famous Kauri Pass on May 8, 2010, which is at an altitude of 4,268 meters, in the Garhwal, Himalayas. At Kuari Pass, tears rolled down as trekkers, hugged each other and said, “We have done it Sir!”

Before ascending the Kuari Pass the team camped at various places like Ghat, Ramni, Jhenji, Pana, Santoli and Khulara, finally culminating at Tapovan. On the way the trekkers had a refreshing bath at the hot springs in Badrinath.

But this was not the only treat for these youngsters. They were also taken to Parliament House, Badrinath and Wagh Border (India’s border crossing with Pakistan) and this segment was co-ordinated by B.D. Sharma, Laxman Singh Negi and K.L. Sharma of STEP.

En route the team also visited Agra to see the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, the Parliament House in Delhi and Red Fort, Golden Temple in Amritsar, Jallianwallah Bagh, Indian Military Academy, Forest Research Institute (Dehradun), Haridwar and Rishikesh. They even had a white water rafting expedition in Ganges organised by Ravers Expedition, Rishikesh.

This expedition was dedicated to the legendary mountaineer late Govindaraju of Deccan Mountaineering League, Mysore.

The last word goes to Ananya Deepanjali Kodandera of St. Joseph’s Central School, who accompanied the orphan trekkers, “Having trekked in various places in eastern Ghats, western Ghats and in Himalayan Ranges with IAMAS this expedition was really a dream come true, once in a life time experience for me.”

Mayor dwells on his plans for Mysore's development

Our new Mayor Sandesh Swamy wants to set an example by taking up several initiatives for city's development. In a candid tête-à-tête with Star of Mysore, he shared some of his dreams for city's growth. Excerpts:

SOM: What is your vision for Mysore? How do you hope to achieve this?

Mayor: My vision is to make Mysore a green and pothole-free city. In future, roads will be designed with a slight curvature at the centre so that rain water flows off at the sides and enters the drainage without stagnating on the road. I am thinking of handing over the maintenance of roads to contractors by making them sign a contract for a certain period. Money will be paid to them in installments. Half the amount will be paid as first installment; after successful maintenance, the next installment of 25% will be paid and the last installment will be paid at the end of contract period. The contractors will be held responsible for maintaining the roads. They have to ensure the roads are free of potholes and all necessary repair works are done in time. I am planning to introduce this scheme during my term.

SOM: How do you propose to make people responsible for maintaining clean city?

Mayor: Seeking help from prominent people in the respective locality, I am planning to conduct door-to-door campaign to create awareness among the residents about environmental issues. Awareness programmes will be held for school children also to plant saplings by the roadside and practice hygiene.

It is the responsibility of every resident to ensure the road at least in front of their house is free from garbage and see that garbage is not thrown and water does not stagnate. The residents should also think that they too are partly responsible for maintaining cleanliness of roads.

SOM: Your ambition?

Mayor: I want to do good things during my tenure so that people remember me even after I demit office. The initiatives that I have started should be continued. Like Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, who was the architect of Mysore, I want to do things in the same way.

I want to make Mysore a clean city so that it becomes a model for other cities and it should reach top place with regard to cleanliness. I want to do everything possible in my limits so that the city becomes self-sustained in the coming years.

SOM: There are some roads that cannot be widened unless the shops and houses are demolished. How will you deal with this problem?

Mayor: We have all the powers under the Town Planning Act to acquire buildings that come in the way of widening of roads. We have plans to widen even the prominent roads like Sayyaji Rao Road and Ashoka Road. Though it incurs expenditure involving crores of rupees, it will be taken up in the coming days.

SOM: Any plans to attract more tourists?

Mayor: Mysore city should become a role model for other countries. Just as people visit Switzerland, London and New York, they should be visiting Mysore too. Our city, being already a tourist hub, we have several spots for tourists to visit within a radius of 30-km making it more attractive.

The name of Mysore should become synonymous with Karnataka. Our city's name should be heard in international circles. I want to make arrangements so that visiting tourists get easy accommodation with a clean and hygienic environment. Every tourist coming to the city should rate Mysore as the cleanest city. All this will be done without affecting the heritage status the city already enjoys.

SOM: You have initiated planting of many saplings. But have you appointed anyone to monitor the plants and nurture them?

Mayor: Yes. In future all road widening works will be undertaken without disturbing the road-side trees; the saplings are planted accordingly. We already have 60,000 saplings ready to be planted on road sides. One thousand saplings will be given to each Ward. As the monsoon has just begun, planting the saplings has been taken up.

The Forest Department which provides saplings will issue instructions to the various departments where these saplings have to be planted and the money for planting and maintaining these saplings will be paid only after 4 months of successful planting.

Employees of Vikrant Tyre factory have come forward to plant trees in their neighbourhood. Other factories too should follow this initiative and plant saplings in their surroundings. This will help greening of Mysore.

SOM: Your future plans?

Mayor: At present 350 tonnes of garbage per day is being produced in the city of which 250 tonnes is being recycled. The remaining 100 tonnes is compacted and used for landfill. In the coming days, garbage will be cleared using sweeping machines which will be introduced shortly. The lands will be cleared of all garbage within two months of their accumulation. Plans are afoot to set up four solid waste management plants in four directions of city. One will be shortly set up at Kesare.

Planning to modernise the Devaraja Market at a cost of Rs. 1 crore retaining the heritage structure. Around 1,500 shops will be relocated in the new building. Even the present mutton market will be demolished and the reconstruction work will begin in the next 3 to 4 months.

The Slum Board will take up construction of 6,835 houses spending Rs.160 crores. The construction of houses will be taken up in three stages. It is estimated that each house costs about Rs.3 to 4 lakh.

A tatal of 1,30,000 new pipelines will be laid under JUSCO for providing drinking water. The digging work for laying these pipes has already begun in all the wards and will be completed by 2012.

SOM: How do you propose to tackle cattle menace?

Mayor: On the busy Devaraja Urs and Sayyaji Rao Roads due to cattle menace several vehicles have met with accidents. Through an agreement with Gopalakara Sangha, we have instructed them not to let the cattle's out. If they fail to remove the cattle straying on the roads, they will be sent to Pinjrapole immediately and there will be no compromise on this issue.

SOM: What kind of a person is Sandesh Swamy? What does he do in his free time?

Mayor: I come from a humble village family. Being brought up in a joint family, I have deep family attachments. I am married and blessed with two children. I love playing golf in my free time, reading books, touring and watching movies.

Connecting children with nature

World Environment Day was celebrated across the country and continents yesterday (June 5). NGOs, educational institutions and government bodies come together on this one day to prepare banners or other forms of advertisements to create awareness' about the state of the world. In the midst of all this, here is D.M. Prabhuswamy from the city, who is doing his bit to sensitise people about the steady loss in the country’s biodiversity.
Prabhuswamy has done his M.Sc in zoology, and working as a Second Division Assistant in the court of Principal Senior Civil Judge and C.J.M at Mysore.
In a tête-à-tête with SOM, this nature lover spoke thus:
The landmark report of Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change headed by R.K Pachauri revealed that the average global surface temperature will rise between 1.4 degrees and 5.8 degrees Celsius by the end on this century.
"Mark Lynas, in his book Six degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet revealed that six degrees increase would eliminate most of the life on earth including much of humanity.
That was the turning point. I, with some friends, have initiated a Green Village Panchayat Movement in my native place in Dugganahalli Malavalli taluk, Mandya based on the concept of A local solution to a global problem.
We began by planting indigenous saplings in our land. Our commitment is to plant more saplings in our land first.
Everyone should initiate a green movement at the place of their residence, place of work or any other convenient place; it may be Green Street movement, Green Campus movement, Green Mohalla movement, Green City movement or even Green Window Sill movement to fight global warming and to protect biodiversity.
We have distributed booklets among High School children of Dugganahalli Gram Panchayat area for assessing the saplings planted and trees cut down in their land for the year 2010.
A green library has also been opened in Dugganahalli where newspapers and magazines related to environment are kept to help students develop knowledge and create awareness.
We encourage people, especially children to plant more saplings in their land, particularly plantation trees. We are planning to form self help groups to raise saplings in farmer’s land by working on the Gandhian concept of ‘Now or Never’ and ‘Do or Die’. We also encourage farmers to harvest rain water, recharge ground water and to promote use of renewable energy. In future days, we are opening a nursery to supply saplings to people of our Gram Panchayat. The Vision Document 2025 has been prepared and set to implementation in collaboration with local bodies.
"First, the children should be taught about the benefits of planting tree. Later, they should be taught to dig the earth and plant a sapling. As they dig they come across variety of soils, rocks and insects which the children will examine, discuss and discover. They should be taught about preserving and caring for plants". Prabhuswamy can be contacted on Mob: 9886365350.
Aims of the project
• Minimum 50% land of farmers should be covered with trees, particularly plantation trees that are indigenous.
• Solid waste management system should be implemented.
• Total literacy should be achieved involving students of Gram Panchayat areas.
• Rain water harvesting should be promoted in the land of farmers.
• Create awareness among masses to minimise carbon foot print and to lead eco-friendly life.
• Renewable energy sources like solar energy and wind energy must be utilised for energy needs of a village.
• Bio-gas plants should be installed in every house or community in Gram Panchayat areas.

The magic of water colours

If one were to have had that rarest of opportunities, that of watching an expert water-colour painter wielding a variety of brushes, a touch of colour here, a touch of colour there, that white space left, a hint of grey and Voila! You are now mesmerised by the life-like painting of the facets of the Mysore Palace, a scene at the market, the few houses in a hamlet, then late afternoon sun climbing over the walls. The master who created such marvels was late N.S. Subbakrishna (NSS), the artist who created wonders through his water colour and sketch paintings.

Sharing her memories about her artistic father, Karnatak vocalist Srinidhi says: "Unlike many artists, my father was also soft, less talkative and used to enjoy serenity of his own thoughts. He never lost his self-respect and faced all problems all alone, quite boldly.

"My grandparents had a desire to make him (NSS) a great musician. But my father wanted to pursue art. He used to observe keenly the clay works done by my grandmother and that inspired him to take up art as a career," recalls Srinidhi.

"He would get up daily at 6 am and play violin for about two hours. It was a ritual. Later he would paint till evening. The colours used by my father were manufactured abroad (Winson and Newton makes). Red was his favorite colour. He used to say that red covers the defects and he would not paint without using red colour at least in a corner. He was an expert in water and oil colours. He had drawn many portraits and sketches of Gandhiji, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri etc.," adds Srinidhi.

Subbakrishna's many water colours are quite lyrical — clouds borne by the wind, a wisp of hair across a woman's forehead —you pass from one painting to the other and look back, wondering if the figures in the landscape had moved. The landscape of his life is as airy, lyrical and subtle as any of his paintings.

Nanjangud Srinivasa Rao Subbakrishna was born in Nanjangud in May, 1914. He was the only son of Srinivasa Rao and Padmavathi. He desired to draw right from childhood. As though to help himself realise this dream, he was unsuccessful in passing the lower secondary exam. This was a blessing in disguise for his achievements in the world of art.

Mysore, in those days, had a host of teachers who had been 'brought’ by the Maharajas to teach in various schools. One of them made him pursue art seriously. It seems he spoke to Subbakrishna's parents and made them allow their son to follow his muse in an art school and in 1927 he joined Chamaraja Technical Institute under the guidance of the then Principal Alderton.

After pursuing art training under great masters K. Keshavaiah and N.G. Pavanje, for five years from 1927, he started drawing landscapes and portraits in oil and water colours. Apart from learning finer nuances of his craft, NSS started learning violin under musician Nanjangud Ramaswamy (father of R.R. Keshava Murthy). Later, during his stay in Chamarajanagar, he used to ‘ do the same riyaz everyday so much so his Coimbatore neighbour Ponnuswamy who was fed up, taught him music in a meticulous manner for three years.

After 1932, NSS started participating in art exhibitions. Those days, art exhibitions used to be held every year in Kodaikanal, Madras and Kollur. It was his great achievement that every year he used to bag the first prize in the art exhibitions. Most of his paintings focus on rural life with all its ingredients.

To catch the fall of light and the play of shadows, one of paintings of the Ghats of Varanasi had NSS waiting for two hours so that the shadows would fall exactly the way he wanted. This is almost photographic!

Subbakrishna persisted in painting even after his father’s transfer to Malavalli. First, he drew a painting of Malavalli Fort. This painting won him the first prize in the exhibition held over there. The then Municipal President Srinivasan bought this painting and got a portrait of his wife made by NSS which also got the first prize. A painting of a herdsman herding sheep was sold to the industrialist Gyansham Das Birla and it is still in the Birla collection.

NSS joined Mysore Porcelain factory at Bangalore as an artist in 1940. His job was to draw on the porcelain plates, cups and other items. When Srinivasan, the then Municipal President went to Gwalior, he took Subbakrishna with him. There, at Gwalior Potteries, NSS served as an artist till 1971 on a monthly salary of Rs. 200.

In his long colourful journey, NSS bagged many awards — A silver jar from the Mysore Maharaja in the Dasara Exhibition (1946), State Award (1964) and Karnataka Lalithakala Academy award (1980). About 600 works of Subbakrishna have been exhibited in many countries far and wide.

The Reserve Bank of India selected a painting of Subbakrishna and printed on the currency notes of denominations Rs.100, Rs.10 and Rs. 5. Though NSS is from Karnataka, his base for a long time was north India.

His talent was not limited to just landscapes, NSS has also done portraits and his series of every President graces the Parliament to this day. It was much later that he returned to Mysore, still wielding his brushes till his last days. NSS passed away on 18th Sept. 1993. NSS is survived by his wife Leela Bai and a son. Among his two daughters, Sreeroopa S. Madhav is no more. All the three children were well-exposed to art.
Over 35 art works of NSS will be on display at Pratima Art Gallery in front of Zoo for a day today (May 31), the day chosen to launch a website devoted to NSS' art. Apart from water-colours, there will also be his pen and ink sketches of Gandhiji.

On the same occasion, Suttur Seer Sri Shivaratri Deshikendra Swamiji will launch www.nssubbakrishna.com, a website which profiles the artist, his life and times and will serve to showcase his art besides enabling art communities to be formed.

The website has been designed by InfoTech Media, Mysore. Leela Bai will also be present. The expo will be inaugurated today at 6.30 pm.

JINGLE-JANGLE OF BANGLES

Anyone who has spent time at the centuries-old temples at Belur, Halebid or even closer at Srirangapatna's Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, will see on the temple reliefs sculptures of celestial damsels with ornate bangles and anklets.

This tradition of wearing bangles, bracelets and anklets continues to this day from the Banjara woman with bangles made of horns of animals and silver from her wrist to her elbows, to the young woman in your neighbourhood wearing intricately designed gold jewellery.

All women, young and old, married or unmarried wear bangles, Kangan or chudi, made of gold or silver, glass, terracotta or plastic. They may be plain or studded with precious and semi-precious stones.

In a country as diverse as India, you can, if you make the effort, identify the region from where a woman comes from the kind of bangles she wears: the ornate, heavy gold bangles from say, Kanchipuram or Madurai or the colourful Kundan lac bangles of Rajasthan or Gujarat.

In this modern age, most women love to adorn themselves with flashy and ornate bangles which make a jingling sound when they move their hands. To find out how far the sound of tinkling glass bangles can be heard, SOM spoke to some of 'costume jewellery' shop-keepers in Devaraja Market.

"Inexpensive bangles made of plastic are slowly replacing those made by glass. But it is the glass bangles that are still preferred during occasions such as marriages and festivals. Most Indian women prefer wearing either gold or glass bangles or a combination of both," says Shoaib who is in this business for the past 20 years.

"Now-a-days most bangles are made of metals. They come decorated with either lac or embedded with small glass pieces, paintings or even small hangings attached to the bangles. Among the recent entrants are rubber bangles that are worn more like a wristband by youngsters, while the plastic ones give a trendy look which are available in unique colours, but they are a bit expensive," adds Shoaib.

"Glass bangles are available in every shades of colour. One can mix and match the glass bangles until you found a perfect match for their costume. Bangles covered in glitter look great under stage lights or in sunlight. They produce a completely different sound than metal bangles and add movement and flash to your wrists," says Shoaib.

"Nothing can match glass bangles. The luminescence, elegance and the unique sound produced in these bangles are incomparable. When these colourful glass bangles are worn in a countless ways it percepts one's own style," adds Asline.

"We are specialists in designing and making all kinds of glass bangles, jhula & jhumki bangles, traditional glass bangles, fancy glass bangles, mirror bangles, thread bangles, Kundan and antique bangles. We have skilled designers who design the bangles by creating the customer's own art on them," adds Asline.

"The normal procedure adopted for making glass bangles is by melting a mixture of silica (sand) with required calcium compounds (lime) along with some metallic oxides which are added as colouring agents," adds Asline.


"Bangles give me an elegant look and I prefer to wear glass bangles because of their novel designs. When I want to appear formal, I wear an extra large set on each wrist with very less jewelry. A set of elegant glass bangles sets me apart from all the tennis bracelets and watches," says Nruthya, a housewife.

These bangles are completely unique and ethnic. Being inexpensive, they can be easily bought and added to one's collection.

The demand for glass bangles has led to manufacturers coming out with dazzling designs every now and then. Gold-plated alloy bangles which look like real gold are also very popular.

BREATHING LIFE INTO PUPPETS

"Indians are adopting western culture while westerners are learning Indian culture,” says M.R. Ranganatha Rao, master puppeteer and Founder-Director of Rangaputhali Puppet Group, Bangalore.

Man making images of himself is as old as history of civilisation itself. What began as part of shamanistic practices soon became an art form to be performed for the entertainment of villagers. Puppetry has been and is still being performed in various parts of India. In Karnataka, it is known an 'Bombe-aata' or 'play of dolls.' It is supposed to be based on popular folk musical drama, Yakshagana. Tales from the epics form the basis of the story lines in any puppet show. There was a time in the not too distant past when puppet shows were regular part of religious festivals and wedding celebrations.

Puppet shows would be held in make-shift theatres, the lighting dim and flickering and throwing shadows on the screen behind and the colours of the puppets bright and beautiful. But this art form is dying out due to the ingress of various other forms of entertainment, like the animated cartoons etc. While in some parts of the Europe including Britain, puppetry is nurtured by the local governments, it is not so in India where this art form is left to fend for itself.

To know more about this dying art, SOM contacted M.R. Ranganatha Rao, the master puppeteer, who is in city to give a puppet show at BVB. He shares his experiences thus:

"Generally, puppeteers with a family tradition practice this art. The elder members of the family train their children in the skills of making and manipulating the puppets. There is no need of formal education for these puppeteers. They just need to memorise the dialogues. To save this diminishing art, I have taught this art not only for my family members but for other students too, which has led many to choose this profession," says Ranganatha Rao who has taught thousands of students and is constantly innovating.

"There are mainly four types of puppets available in India — string, rod, glove and shadow puppets — which are still practiced in many parts of the country. But, these puppet shows are organised only as part of any festival, religious celebrations, ritual or marriages." Manipulating the rod puppets is most difficult as the puppet is about 3 feet tall and weighs around 10 kgs and the puppeteer has to use the iron rods to make puppets move. Ranganatha Rao has taken it upon himself to develop rod puppetry.

Training children has been the passion of Ranganatha Rao and his wife, Gayathri Rao. They have trained thousands of artisans by forming 5 to 6 teams and training them in puppet making, script writing, music and costume designing. In the coming days Rao dreams of showcasing ‘Gokul Nirgamana’ (Putina story) for which the dolls are ready.

He has also scripted many episodes complete with dialogues, script writing, costume and songs. They include Sri Krishna Parijata, Narakasura Vadha, Girija Kalyana, Krishna Tulabhara, Hanumadvilasa, Nala Damayanti, Shurpanaka Prasanga, Rajasuya yaga.

Like characters from Yakshagana, each puppet is made to resemble a particular character through facial features, ornamentation and colouring which is done using vegetable dyes. The long slender iron rods attached to limbs are used to make the puppets, move, wave their hands and leap and jump with abandon. The size, colours and stylisation varies from region to region.

Themes from the epics form the storyline, the music is simple like twanging a rubber band tied between two strips of bamboos. The show begins with an invocation. Then the Sutradhar or Narrator takes over. He stands directly behind the puppets on the stage keeping the wings free for the movement of the puppets.

It is not as simple as it sounds for a puppeteer is the narrator, manipulates the puppet, lend his/her voice to the various characters and produce sound effects. A good puppeteer must be knowledge of epic poetry, history, religion and philosophy. Puppeteers also need to be able to speak several dialect.

Then the lights go on, not the glow from the proscenium, but shadows of light, the puppets come awake and the Sutradhar begins the tale, and the audience take to a different world.
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Meet Ranganatha Rao, the Master Puppeteer


Ranganatha Rao (77) is a pioneer traditional puppeteer who has adapted modern themes and techniques. Born on May 10, 193,1 in Magadi (Bangalore), he had his early schooling in Magadi and received training in puppetry from his grandfather Narasingha Rao a professional puppeteer. He later shifted to Bangalore and finished his graduation in theatre and was appointed as a Government school teacher.

Rao devised special puppetry kits to be used as visual teaching aids in schools. In 1983 he took voluntary retirement to devote all his time and energy for this art. His wife, Gayatri, assists him and their three sons chips in.

Rao has toured the country giving lectures and performing with his puppets. In recognition of his contribution to resurrect this art the Central Sangeeth Natak Academy honored him with the national award in 1981. Rao has attended a number of puppet festivals at the national and international levels. Rao is also a Founder Director of Rangaputhali Puppeteers in Bangalore.

Rao and his team were selected to attend various puppet festivals in Japan, California (US), Switzerland, Poland and Austria. At the national level he has participated in the puppet festivals at New Delhi and Hyderabad. He was appointed the director for the children’s puppet festival during the SAARC festival at Bangalore. He was also the director for the National Puppet Festival, Puthali’ 91 in 1991 in Bangalore. He has worked for Janapada loka, Karnataka and has set up a multi purpose puppet theatre there.
His puppets hold prominent places in museums like the - Victoria Albert Museum in UK, Swiss Puppet Museum of Fritbourg, Japan Puppet museum, China Puppet Museum and many others.

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“We feel very proud, as we have learnt this dying art. When we join for this school we don’t know anything about this art, now we write scripts, narrate puppets, and design them. Till today all over Karnataka we have given 175 shows, it is very much exciting to us to go to others cities and show our indigenous art for them. We would like to continue this art as our profession,” says students of SVES.


They pull the strings: The students of SVES (standing from left) Tilak, V. Avinash, S. Nagaraj, Jayashree, V. Anusha, D. Shobha, Pooja, Ravi Kiran, S. Kumar, Narasimhamurthy (95% in SSLC) are seen with (sitting from left) Team Leader Raghavendra; School Head Master and Tabla player H.V. Shankar; Secretary B.S. Subramanya, Master Puppeteer M.R. Ranganatha Rao, Harmonium player Guru Murthy and costume designer Shobha Praneesh.

STYLISED DEPICTIONS OF LINE & COLOUR

Traditional painting in a country as diverse as India can be Madhubani or Worli on the one extreme and Tanjore and Mysore Schools of Paintings on the other. These are not the typical Raja Ravi Verma type of calendar art of gods and goddesses but a stylised form of using certain elements.

Chandrika, daughter of renowned Palace artist Ramanarasaiah, who resides in Kuvempunagar, is a proponent of Mysore Traditional painting.

Chandrika is not only specialised in Mysore Traditional paintings but is equally good in Tanjore paintings and also an expert in micro-miniature Mysore paintings. This facile artist who has done her BA in fine arts learnt the basic strokes from her father Ramanarasaiah who was an artist in Mysore Palace for more than 50 years.

Understanding the traditional values and improvising its ancient techniques, modes of drawing and propagating its form, Chandrika has participated in about 60 workshops and training programmes all over India and has trained people to paint my-thological and historical figures. She has been working with this style for the past 15 years through teaching and exhibiting her works.

Chandrika is a recipient of many prestigious awards including State Award and Mysore Dasara award as well as a certificate from the Government of Karnataka.

"Mysore traditional paintings are created according to a set pattern of rules that have been followed for decades. The Mysore style Painting is derived from the Vijayanagar style. In 16th century the boards were prepared using the artist papers and a white sheet on which to sketch was created and later it was painted. Natural dyes like oxides were used as paint after mixing with Arabic Gum. This ensured longevity of the colours. Pure gold leaf was used to enhance the richness of the painting."

"A sketch is made on the paper with a pencil. Earlier, the sketch was made with charcoal prepared by burning tamarind twigs in an iron tube. Colours were made from the minerals by grinding the minerals in a stone mortar and then putting them in water to make a paste. Brushes were made of different material including squirrel, camel and goat hair. Sometimes, grass blades were also used to make sharp lines. Now, brushes available in the market are used for painting," says Chandrika.

"Once the sketch is made, Gesso work is taken up on the area earmarked. Gesso work is normally done where there is a need for embellishments. Design work is carried out on jewellery, attire, etc., with a specially prepared compound and a brush. On completion of the work, after the compound dries, gold foil is placed over it and stuck firmly. The painting is done subsequently. After the painting is completed and is dry, a thin paper is placed on top of it and rubbed with a smooth stone to bring out the richness in the relief work done with gold foil."


"The themes of these paintings are largely religious and are taken from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The most popular themes of this painting are traditional deities of the Hindu pantheon, including the famous Goddess of Mysore Chamundeswari. Stories from the epics of Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana and Jain epics are also depicted in traditional Mysore paintings."

"A typical Mysore Painting today is usually sized between 11"x12" and a maximum of 30"x40". The pricing depends not only on size but also the intricacy involved in the subject," adds Chandrika.

Meet 'paper-razzi Mysore Huseni

A snip here, a touch of glue there – a paper objeted’art is ready

You mean it’s made of paper? It looks simple. It’s artistic…” These are some of the comments that greet the paper craft creations of Mysore Huseni, artist par excellence when it comes to wielding paper, scissors and glue dexterously.
Syed Fakruddin Huseni snips paper, pastes bits of paper and a work of art is created before your eyes.

Paper sculpture as done by Huseni has its origins in origami and the popular Victorian paper sculptures, mostly silhouette portraits. As in origami, a diverse range of subjects ranging from fruits and flowers to landscapes and humans can be created.

For Mysore Huseni, it’s an art form but for many of us it could be an inexpensive way of using our creativity. Hailing from Mandya, Huseni studied art at Vyjayanthi School of Arts in Mysore and has obtained a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts from Karnatak University, Dharwad. He has exhibited his paper art works at major exhibitions and has also demonstrated and conducted workshops in many institutions of Bangalore and other places. He was invited to take part and exhibit his talent in Japan Habba 2009, which was held at Bangalore.


Huseni has exhibited his works in many group shows in Karnataka and has held five solo shows in Bangalore, Mysore, Dharwad and Udupi. His works are with many art collectors in India and abroad. He was given the Anche Kunch award four times. The award was instituted by Shanthi Vana, a Trust of Dharmadhikari Virendra Heggade of Dharmasthala. He was also awarded the Dasara Lalithakala award by Kannada and Culture Department (Mysore) and Poster Making award given by Manasagangothri, Mysore.
Huseni is one among the few artists who are specialized in paper cutting arts like Sanji (Indian Paper cutting art), Kirigami (Japanese) and he has successfully adopted these methods in contemporary themes since the past 8 years.

“Craft is a tradition that has survived for centuries. My sculpture is a mutual symbiosis of reality and fantasy. I was inspired by paper cutting when I was in my school and I thought of creating designs with paper. Now, I produce high quality, creative sculptures and take risks to learn new things.

“After understanding the art concepts, I create a sculpture which saves landfill space with a refined taste and focus on the subjects concerning the common man. My present theme of paintings is ‘Home in every Heart’ as home is a wider perspective,” says Huseni remembering his parents who encouraged him.

“I have been researching rural folk elements for the past one-and-half years to cre-ate a document on the use of papers since many centuries. For example in Chamarajanagar paper is used to decorate floor in place of red-oxide. Till today, I have conducted survey in Kollegal, Mandya, Gulbarga, Dharwad, Shimoga, Soraba and many other places,” says Huseni proudly. Huseni has also created a Do It Yourself (DIY) kit complete with instructions and leaflets.


He now lives in Bangalore practicing his art and conducting free workshops in rural areas in an attempt to promote his indigenous rural art form.

SOM readers interested in learning paper-art can contact Huseni on Mobile: 98451-53277 or e-mail: mysorehuseni@gmail.com

Art, be it splashing colour on canvas, drawing, stick-men or artistic paper creations, is the best stress-buster. And Huseni helps you beat stress.

Hand-painted ceramics make an aesthetic difference

Do you want to decorate your home creatively and artistically? Then visit ‘Craft and Handloom Expo’ at JSS Urban Haat, which is showcasing exquisite handmade crafts like marble inlays, wood carvings, carpets, brass metal-wares, blue pottery and many other exhibits along with traditional sarees from Madurai. But it is the hand painted ceramic ware that catches one's attention immediately.

These handmade ceramic wares are aesthetic with vibrant colours. They are made using non-toxic ceramic tiles. The glazed tiles reflect the hues when decorated on walls.
“India is a treasure trove for some of the most exquisite handicrafts ever made. I chose to work only on ceramic or porcelain clay as it is the smoothest of all clay bodies and is an excellent medium for painting. Once the design and the painting is complete, I make it glaze by heating it in a kiln at very high temperature. This is the most critical stage of the entire process. These ceramics have a market and much sought after by customers who want their houses decorated with unique kind of artworks,” says Manoj Ramtke, who has come all the way from Bhadravathi to exhibit his ceramic works, shaping them into beautiful pieces of art.

Ceramic works are highly sought after for their unmatched beauty as they come in myriad colours and shades. Everything from abstract to geometric designs, images of historic events, even ancient cave paintings, Egyptian hieroglyphics and Mayan stone carvings are adopted as themes for hand painting on these ceramic tiles. Hand painting on ceramic tiles has also now evolved as a hobby as it gives a skilled artist freedom to express his imagination. Plain, shiny and white glazed ceramics are most suitable for hand paintings. The medium used for hand paintings on ceramics generally depend on the paint and techniques employed.

The first step is to decide upon the theme of the painting. Rough sketches are then made on a graph paper of the same size. Before starting hand painting, they are thoroughly cleaned with soap water and dried. The paint is then mixed with oil and turpentine. Brush and palette knife are used to smear and blend colors. After the hand painting is completed, it is heated in a kiln between 1350 and 1500 degrees Fahrenheit, then it acquires a shiny appearance giving it a glaze.
Most of these hand-painted ceramic works are quite durable and can be used even outdoors. A recent addition to the ceramic work is water-proof hand painted which can be used in swimming pools and fountains. The artisans are catering to the individual’s choice of paintings and colours.

The exhibition also has on display beautifully handcrafted flower vases made by craftsmen showcasing not only traditional Indian motifs but also modern designs. They appear in various styles, having exquisite to exotic designs, made out of a variety of materials in various shapes and are quite eye-catching with their compelling beauty. The crafts mela at Urban Haat will conclude on May 9.

Magic lamp


A deft work: This tortoise-shaped magic lamp has a hole below the design into which oil can be poured. The specialty of this design is that when the lamp is kept
upright, the oil will not spill out.

THE DOUBLING ROTI: MIRACLE OR MYTH?

This one is straight out of the pages of Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Only that in this case it is not the sleight of hand of some invisible Godman but plain old growth of fungus which ends up looking like a roti. This Doubling Roti or Sai roti has been doing the rounds of the houses of the devout.

The faithful are told that the roti will double itself only if the person has true faith. This is a double whammy. One, if the roti does not double itself, then it proves you are not true in your faith and then neighbours come to know and start look askance.

This is what happens. The devout are told to keep roti (chapati) in a tiffin box which is then covered with red cloth. Before the red cloth is draped, the devotee is told to add tea leaves, some sugar, a small cup of water, cover it and then perform puja. A week of this, the roti is expected to double. Then these two rotis' are kept in two different boxes and handed to other Sai devotees. The process goes on and on. But what exactly happens here? This is the question that SOM put to Dr. Mandara Maharishi, Scientific Astrologer and Vastu Consultant. Excerpts:

What is this Sai Roti?
I’ve heard about this from my clients; people even collect some nominal value for this, like Rs.3 and keep it in their cash box. They believe, it doubles their money as the Roti doubles.

According to you, is it a miracle or a scientific process?
Definitely it is a scientific process like Manchurian Mushroom called "KOMBUCHA". It's a fungus-like mixture of bacteria and yeast that grows in sugar and tea solution. It takes 8 -10 days to grow and becomes a pancake like organism that resembles a mushroom. What is truly miraculous is the tea it grows in.

What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a fermented tea that is imbibed for medicinal purposes. It is a probiotic, microbiological food. It helps regenerate the bowel flora and is excellent for wellbeing. It is a popular health promoting beverage and natural folk remedy. It is a symbiotic culture of yeast and other microorganisms, depending on each other. Kombucha is available commercially, we can buy the kombucha at any online health food store but can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible solid mass of microorganisms called kombucha culture or mushroom.

Is there any scientific evidence in support of these claims?
There is limited scientific information supporting any of purported benefits, though few studies are being conducted in this regard.

What does Kombucha look like?
It looks like some sort of fungus or mushroom but it isn’t. For convenience it is generally called a fungus as this has been customary over the years. It looks like a white rubbery “pancake”. It is a hard, smooth slippery, glassy mass which forms lamellae. These lamellae are composed of translucent, very tough tissue with a series of brown spots at the bottom. These turn out to be a concentration of yeast cells. The primary yeast is Schizosaccharomyces Pombe, while the main bacteria involved in the fermentation are the Gluconacetobacter Xylinum, Gluconobacter Bluconicum and Acetobacter Xylinioides.

What is Kombucha Tea?
Major ingredients found in Kombucha tea are various enzymes, Acetic acid, Carbonic acid, Folic Acid, Gluconic acid, Glucuronic acid, L(+) Lactic, Usnic acid, Amino acids (various), Hydroxy acids (various), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin, niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin, cyanocobalamin), Vitamin C (from Lactic acid), antibiotic substances, 0.5% to 1% alcohol is produced as well as other products.

Origin of Kombucha?
Some attribute its origin to Manchuria (a historical name given to a vast geographic region in northeast Asia) and others to Tibet, Japan or Eastern Siberia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria either falls entirely within People’s Republic of China, or is divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast China.

For how long has it been in use?
Kombucha apparently evolved from plant organisms over 2.5 billion years ago. People have been preparing and consuming fermented tea drink for over 2000 years. The first record of "KOMBUCHA" 'The Miracle Mushroom' was during the Chinese Empire of the Tsin Dynasty in 221 BC. It was referred to as “the remedy for immortality” or “the Divine Tsche” by the Koreans in 414 B.C but later it showed up in China. From there it was introduced into Japan, Russia, and India and later to other European countries where it is now consumed daily by huge numbers of people.

For what health aspects Kombucha can be used?
As an elixir of life, it is believed that consuming Kombucha regularly keeps one in eternal youth, preventing old age and greying of hairs. It is also believed that Kombucha increases longevity, cures cancer, Bronchitis and asthma, rheumatism, Improves vision, Cures kidney and cardiac problems, cataracts, diabetes, diarrhea, herpes ,Increases appetite and helps digestion, Cures insomnia, lowers hypertension, reverses the symptoms of AIDS and increases sexual desire.

How Kombucha Tea is prepared?
To prepare kombucha tea we require; Kombucha mushroom of about 3 inches in diameter, Two liters of fresh mineral water, 15 grams biological green tea, 200 grams refined white sugar, A stainless steel saucepan (do not use aluminum), A clean glass container with a wide mouth which will hold a 3" diameter mushroom and 2 liters of water, A piece of cheesecloth and a rubber band to close the jar to allow fresh oxygen into the container.

To start Kombucha Culture, first we should boil the water and is allowed to cool down for 5 minutes, add the tea bags and remove it after 15 minutes, Add the sugar and stir thoroughly. Let the tea cool down to about 90° F. When preparing the first culture, add two tablespoons of natural vinegar (which you omit when you already have Mombucha also known as Mother Kombucha) and Yeast. Pour the tea into the glass container and add the Mother Kombucha also called SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony Of Bacteria and Yeast). Close the container with the cheese cloth and rubber band. Place the jar in a spot at a temperature of about 80° F. After 10 to 14 days a new Baby kombucha mushroom will have grown on the whole surface of the tea. What appears to be fungus or Mold maybe "tannins" from the tea. These are still, good mushrooms. Cigarette smoke, paint fumes, off-gasses, strong sunlight will kill kombucha.

How can Kombucha Tea be consumed?
This kombucha tea should be strained, bottled, sealed with a clean lid and kept in the refrigerator for subsequent process. You make the new batch of tea with the new mushroom which has grown on top of the old mushroom.The old mushroom can be used as a fertilizer for plants, applied to wounds or used as cosmetic. When the new tea has cooled and been poured into the jar it should be mixed with about 8 oz. per quart of the previous batch of kombucha tea. This favors the fermentation as a result of which the new kombucha tea will be ready in 8 to 10 days. Of course you have to put the kombucha mushroom in the cool tea and proceed.

When brewing at home, it is common for SCOBYs of uneven thickness or varying shades to form, due to cold or varying temperatures, and sometimes due to inconsistent environments and brewing cycles. So if this happens, don’t worry! It’s perfectly normal! Though Kombucha mushrooms start out cream colored, they darken over time, which could happen due to staining by the tea. And eventually as SCOBYs age they stop creating babies, and lose their ability to ferment the tea. While some say that SCOBYs last for 8 batches, others say that they last for 3-4 months.

What is the recommended dosage for consumption?
4 oz. every morning, on an empty stomach. We can add some fresh honey if we feel it is sour.

Where is it popularly used today?
Today the tea is widely used Japan and Russia even today. Scientists noticed that in those regions where the Kombucha-tea was a common drink, the environmental pollution had less influence on the health of the population. Being heavy smokers, drinking vast amounts of alcohol and working in the unhealthy mercury-, lead-, and asbestos industry they survived this onslaught by consuming Kombucha-tea on a daily basis. This was the only difference compared with their counterparts in similar circumstances. As the Kombucha has so much of nutritional ingredients and medicinal values, Kombucha culture has got much importance.

By what other names it is called?
Kombucha is also popularly known by various other names like Fungus Japonicus, Fungo-Japon Kombucha, Kargasok Tea, Kvas, Manchurian Mushroom, Tea Fungus, Tea Sponge and Tea Wine.

Why is Kombucha called as Saai Roti then?
We call it as Sai Roti (means Spun Roti in Thai language) not Shiridi Sai. On the streets of Thailand we can have a snack called Roti Sai Mai or Roti Spun Silk which is a thin pancake wrapped around sugar spun like cotton candy. Sai Mai is also a name of one of the fifty districts of Bangkok, Thailand.

So what conclusion can be given for this Sai Roti or Kombucha?
Finally, we can say that Sai Roti (Kombucha Culture) is a Symbiotic Miracle rather than a Sai Miracle.

Mythology and tribal motifs come alive in terracotta

The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS) museum in Mysore, an autonomous organization, Ministry of Culture, of Government of India, is not only a museum housing tribal artifacts, but also a visual history book depicting the evolution of tribal culture across various parts of India. It is a knowledge centre that houses numerous art works of various tribes. This unique anthropological museum though sanctioned in 2000, started functioning only from Oct. 2001. Traditional tribal art forms like paintings, terracotta’s, murals, stone sculptures and other art forms are on display here. There are a little moe than 400 ethnically different tribes in India.
The IGRMS headquarters is located in Bhopal (MP), while the Regional Centre IGRMS is in Mysore at Wellington House on Irwin Road. In an attempt to showcase the diversity and richness of our culture the Mysore IGRMS conducts various workshops, seminars, hands-on training programme, throughout the year.

















The Terracotta sculpture outside the entrance to IGRMS is much more than an artistic work, it is actually narrating a mythological story of the tribals and is part of an open air exhibition called, “Janapada Kathe”, folklore stories, where each work of art on display here is narrating a story. The various art works displayed here are the creation of artists from different States, working on their local folklore stories, their songs and dances, their community deities, tattoos, myths and lore and transform-ing them into art-works. The exhibition was opened in April 2008, on the occasion of the eighth anniversary celebrations of the Sangrahalaya.
The exhibition is also a record of the folkways and mores of the tribals, their myths and legends. The striking feature of this exhibition is that all these exhibits are actual dwellings built by the tribals themselves, using the same materials and architectural style employed by them. It is for this reason the exhibits are in the open exposed to the elements of nature and is a permanent feature.
Whether it is a mural, or painting, terracotta art, stone sculptures and even photographs each of them narrate a story of local traditions and rituals practiced by the tribals of a particular region. Using these exhibits IGRMS has been successful in creating awareness among the people to many of our lost cultures and traditions. At present there are 21 exhibits, representing a particular tribe. Here is a brief introduction of them:
‘Gotul’, this castiron mural shows the communal dormitory of teenagers, both boys and girl, who are expected to live in harmony and togetherness, among the murals of Bastar in Chattis-garh. Gotul a mural cast in iron, illustrates a youth dormitory of the Muria tribal people in Bastar, Chattisgarh.
The tribal Gond painting of Mandla in Madhya Pradesh, tells you the story of the disappearance of God from the Earth, with a message that death will be sudden for all and it is the soul that goes to heaven, without the body.
Bhil paintings also from Madhya Pradesh, depicts the worshipping of their local deity, Pithora and the installation of a memory stone, ‘Gatla’. The materials used for the painting are simple homemade pigments made from the leaves and flowers of various plants. The brushes made of rags or a cotton swabs and fastened to twigs of neem. The paintings are done in a single day by the Bhils, praying for the prosperity of their lands and families and worshipping fertility.
Warli folk paintings by one of the largest tribals found in the northern outskirts of Mumbai, in Thane, Maharashtra, do not depict any mythological characters or images of deities, but depict social life, like the marriage “chauk” drawn on the walls of their dwellings using only rice paste and smeared with red ochre. It also narrates the “Tarpa” dance and celebration of “Simgha” festival.
Mural painting from Kozhikode, Kerala, tells you the story of the slaying of two demons, Nalakuvara and Manigriva, sons of Kubera by Lord Krishna as Balagopala, who tied to a stone mortar by his mother, goes crawling on his knees and the mortar gets caught between the two Arjuna trees and uproots them, thus liberating the two demons from the curse.
The story of Raja Shailesh, Reshma and Kushma has been depicted on terracotta from Dharbanga in Bihar district.


The Par or Phad paintings from Rajasthan, depicts the tradition of worshipping ancestors and historical figures. Among the five ancestors commonly worshipped in Rajasthan, the life of Devnarayan (Takhaji) and Pabuji Rathor are the most popular. He is usually pictured seated on a horse along with various animals like cows, snake. The legends are painted on long rectangular cloths usually 35 feet long by 5 feet wide for Devnarayan pars and 15 feet by 5 feet for Pabuji-ki pars.
The Subarnapur artists from Orissa, have beautifully depicted episodes from Ramyana on terracotta pots using clay coils. That is, there are not kiln-baked but sun dried. Incidents such as the birth of Seetha, the breaking of Shivadhanus, Vanavasa, Lankapuri Hanuman, Rama’s arrival to Ayodhya, Pattabhisheka are elegantly depicted on the pot.
The Vijayanagar school of paintings called Surapur paintings managed to survive in Surapur, Gulbarga. The ‘Dasoha Gnana’ painting by a Gulbarga artist narrates the history of the 12th century Sharana Basaveshwara. The sage’s entire life is narrated as a ‘pawaada’ or ‘miracle’ in the Surapur traditional paintings.
Terracotta pottery both for ritualistic prayers and everyday use have been found inn almost every archeological dig. The famous gray ware pf the Indus Valley or the Blue ware from the Harappan period are well known. The usual votive figures in the tribal hamlets of Bastar, Jhabua, Sarguja, Raigarh, and Mandla are elephants, serpents, birds and horses. Huge terracotta horses with noble-like figures are still found in several of the Tamil Nadu villages. These terracotta semi-divine deities are the guardians of the villages. Terracotta votive placed at the boundaries of the villages are also said to ward off disease. Terracotta votive placed at the boundaries of the villages are also said to ward off disease. Votive terracotta figures of Bonga Hathi, Bankura horse, Raja Hathi, Owl, Kalli Buri, Ganesh and Manasa Kalash can be seen here. Man’s primordial fear of snakes resulted in making minor deities of them. Manasa becomes the snake goddess daughter of Shiva and is worshipped in West Bengal, Assam and Orissa.
Even the Patua from Midnapur, West Bengal, narrates the story of Snake Goddess Manasa and how she wanted the people to worship her, like her father, Shiva, was worshipped.
Terracotta offerings for “Gramdev” or the village deity is a common practice among the Jhabua tribals in Madhya Pradesh. Once in twenty years, families belonging to Bhil, Bhilala, Rathwa and the Koli tribes offer a ‘Jatar’ at the shrine of Gamdev or the village deity under the saagwon or teak tree. Each of these ‘Jatar’ comprises of 120 terracotta horses, known as ‘the army of horses’.
The Cherial scroll paintings of Andhra Pradesh is truly an exciting exception, practised mainly in Cherial of Warangal district. The painting is widely used for wall decorationsThis traditional art form is inseparable part of the profession of the story telling community known as Kaki Padagollu. They utilize the scroll paintings as visual aids to tell their stories. The stories come alive by paintings on clothes, which come in the form of scrolls. Each scroll can run into several meters. However to meet the modern art lovers’ and public demand, the Nakkash or smaller versions are made at affordable prices.
An artist from Mandla, Madhya Pradesh, has beautifully narrated an interesting story about the creation of universe by Badadev.
The famous Chittara Art or Hasegode Chittara paintings done by the women of Devaara tribe in Shimoga and Uttara Kannada districts on walls and bamboo baskets. During marriages and other festivals, using only rice flour can also be seen here.
Lillari Koti of Madhya Pradesh has an interesting story. Inspired by an anthill, the Gond tribal women made the Koti, a mud granary, to store the grains safely. Snakes are depicted on the Koti, signifying that it brings health and prosperity to the family and also devours rats. Almost every member of the Gond community has a granary.

Rangoli is one of India’s oldest traditional art form. According to legends, Lord Devendra has eyes all over his body in order to be vigilant about the happenings in this universe. The innumerable eyes of Devendra are depicted in this Rangoli motif by Mysore artistes.
Stone sculptures in the manner of the Ajanta and Ellore bas-relief in black marble are well depicted by the Bidadi artists.
The tribal communities of Bastar Region consider Mohuajhad is a auspicious tree and a branch of the tree is required on all the rituals. Highly ornate votive terracotts elephants embellished with bells, figures of lion, horse, etc are offered to the shrines of village deities, these rituals of Mendka Bihav, Kham and Votive terracotta elephants and lion are well depicted by the artiste from Chattisgarh.
Artist from Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu have fabulously narrated the heroic character of Ayyanaar, the main protagonist in the local region. Ayyanaar complex developed in the exhibition consists of 12 figures Ayyannar the chief deity Pushpakala, Purnakala, Kali, Sanyasi, Nondiveeran, two horses, two elephants and two cows. Various forms of the Ayyanaar including are in ‘Policeman’s uniform can be seen in sense of the interior villages of Tirukoillur, Tamil Nadu.
All these features give the visitor a glimpse of the rural life by boosting the morale of traditional artisan groups by creating general awareness among general public.